


All the Better To….

by faithinthepoor



Series: Once Upon a Time [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 07:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/619484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithinthepoor/pseuds/faithinthepoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during the episode Red Handed</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Better To….

**Author's Note:**

> In my series this follows my [Fairytale Drabbles](http://archiveofourown.org/works/618763), [Mirror Mirror](http://archiveofourown.org/works/618771), [This Provincial Life](http://archiveofourown.org/works/618775), [Viviane or Nimue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/618809) and [Dreams and Wishes](http://archiveofourown.org/works/618851)

She walks out of the hospital feeling incredibly pleased with the way things have worked out. In one neat action she managed to put Emma in her place and at the same time establish herself as someone who both cares about David’s wellbeing and is distressed by Kathryn’s disappearance. It really was quite the tour de force. She has to stop herself from whistling as she exits the building and heads to her car.

Her happiness is short lived, which really shouldn’t come as a surprise given it is the story of her life, it dies when a hand grabs her wrist and she is dragged to the back of the building.

She could protest but that would create a spectacle. Besides, she is more than a little interested in where Emma is going with this mini abduction move. 

The sheriff pins her against the wall and says, “Don’t you ever talk to me like that again.”

“Well it seems that would be a complete waste of my precious breath. It’s clear that talking to you in that way hasn’t motivated you to work on the case. Tell me sheriff, what is happening to Kathryn while you are waiting to address some personal slight that you feel I’ve caused?”

“I’m not irresponsible Madam Mayor; I’ve got people working on the case. So how about you tell me what use I am as sheriff if people think you can get away with talking to me like that?”

“Who are these people you’ve got working for you?”

“Ruby’s following up on something for me.”

“Ruby is not people. She’s a waitress.”

“She was a waitress. She works for me now.”

Regina already knew this. Sometimes it’s a bitch to know everything that goes on in this town. Ruby’s new position is not something that makes her happy and it turns out it’s even more disturbing to hear Emma say it said out loud. Somehow Emma mentioning it makes it more real. “I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with you farming out tasks on something as important as Kathryn’s disappearance.”

Emma leans in close and hisses, “It doesn’t really matter what makes you comfortable. It’s not your call how I do my job.”

“Maybe not but as the mayor I reserve the right to be worried about whether or not you are doing a good job.”

“There is nothing wrong with the way I do my job,” Emma sounds a little too defensive to be completely believable. 

“I don’t know about that. What I do know is that if you were better at your job we could be having sex on your desk right now but you’ve hired Ruby and you haven’t found a suspect yet.”

Emma’s eyes have dilated and she looks flustered. “You make it sound like you’re more upset about the Ruby thing than the lack of progress in the case.”

“I don’t like the thought of her being around the sheriff’s office,” Regina admits.

“She’s hardly going to compromise the investigation.”

“It’s not the investigation that I’m worried about her compromising. I’ve seen her in those scraps of material she seems to think are skirts,” she fails to mention that she’s also seen what’s under them.

“Well lucky for you it’s winter.”

“Ruby doesn’t seem to feel the cold the way the rest of us do.”

“Well in my office she’s been wearing nothing but appropriate attire.”

Regina places her mouth close to Emma’s ear, “So does that mean you haven’t managed to bend her over your desk just yet?”

Hands push roughly at Regina’s shoulders and Emma looks at her indignantly, “I am not like that.”

“Oh really? What is it that you are like?”

“I’m yours,” Emma confesses, “which I guess makes me incredibly stupid.”

Regina’s chest feels tight. There is clearly too much blood there because her heart feels like it is drowning in it. None of the blood seems to be getting to her brain and she is dizzy and lightheaded. Her body takes over from her failing brain and of its own accord it kisses Emma. 

Emma kisses back and the action seems to drain all of the anger from them. Their kisses are tender, playful and numerous. They are also happening out in the open where they could easily be seen. Regina can’t seem to bring herself to care about the lack of privacy and she straddles Emma’s leg with every intention of letting Emma have her then and there.

It turns out that Regina’s plans don’t match with Emma’s as just when things start to heat up Emma pulls away. “We can’t do this here.” Regina’s only response is to groan in frustration which makes Emma laugh. “I didn’t realise that you were quite so eager.”

“Touch me and you’ll see how eager I am,” Regina’s voice is low as she pulls Emma back to her.

Emma shakes her head. “Not here. Not like this.”

“What’s the matter? Worried I won’t respect you in the morning?”

“I’m not sure that you respect me at all,” Emma says and the sadness in her voice is painful to Regina.

“Don’t say that.”

“It doesn’t matter what you actually think because there is no way that we are going to have sex right now.”

“We could go somewhere a little less public,” Regina makes her tone as suggestive as possible.

“We could,” Emma agrees and Regina is embarrassed to note that she is finding it hard to breathe, “but somebody should have thought about that before she dressed me down in front of people because now she won’t get to undress me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Deadly so.”

“But that wasn’t personal.”

“Are you trying to tell me that it was professional because lady, if that’s the case, you have a very distorted version of what professional means.”

“I meant that it wasn’t about us.”

“That’s funny because I sure felt personally attacked.”

“You know that’s not how I really feel.”

“Regina you are a chameleon. I have idea who the real you is.”

“Then let me give you a clue. The _real_ me wanted to ignore everyone else in the room and just throw you down on the floor and have my way with you.”

“Well that would have been very disrespectful to your good friend David.”

“To hell with David. I would have pushed him off that bed if it meant I’d have a more comfortable place to fuck you.”

Emma smirks but it doesn’t reach her eyes, “We have to be more than this.”

“More that what?”

“More than sex. I care about you, you know?”

“And in my own way I care about you too.”

“I’m not sure that’s good enough.”

She has nothing to say to that and she has no choice but to let Emma walk away. Emma will never believe that this is the best that she can do, that this is all she is. There is so very little inside of her. She has tried to fill the dark void but it’s too vast, too deep, too old. She would give Emma all that she is but it would never be enough because at the end of the day it would be hardly anything.

Lately everything she does just seems to end up making things a little bit worse between the two of them and if she were sensible she would just let sleeping dogs lie. She’s not sensible though. If she was she wouldn’t have started anything with Emma in the first place. 

She can’t leave things as they are, she doesn’t want to have to spend the next few days ruminating over the things she should have said and done, and so she comes up with an alternate plan. She needs to see Emma, at the right place and at the right time, and so she heads to the toll bridge to wait for the sheriff to make the all important break in her case.

Regina had almost given up hope and feared that she was in danger of losing a finger to frostbite but the sign she was looking for does come in the end. She recognises the scream but it doesn’t belong to the person that she was expecting to find. 

This day just refuses to go her way. She should have quit while she was ahead. She would have if Emma had allowed her to have her moment of triumph at the hospital. If she’d just been able to have one win, however small, she would not be watching a pale and shaken Ruby emerge from the trees carrying a box meant for Emma.

She has no choice but to make the best of the current situation. Beggars can’t really be choosers and she tries to view the chance to confront Ruby as an opportunity rather than a set back. In some ways it might even be a blessing because it’s possible that she has not thought this scheme through. Close to three decades of having things completely under her control has apparently made her sloppy. 

It would have been impossible to give Emma a reasonable explanation for being out here. Thankfully Ruby has more trust and fewer brain cells than Emma. She approaches the young woman and puts an arm around her trembling frame. “Is everything alright?”

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” it seems Ruby’s already unimpressive vocabulary has retracted to one word.”

“What’s wrong?”

Words are beyond Ruby and she just shakes and sobs.

“I hear you are working for the sheriff now.”

Ruby nods her head slowly, “But I don’t think I should be. It’s just another thing I’m not good at.” 

Regina looks down at the box that Ruby holds and thinks the wolf girl is actually doing just fine. The mayor is grateful that this piece of evidence has been brought to light but that doesn’t mean she’s happy about Emma working so closely with Ruby. “I don’t imagine that it’s for everyone. It’s not nice to have to think bad things about one’s friends and neighbours.”

“It’s worse than you can imagine. It’s horrible.” Ruby holds the box away from her body as though it is repellent to her.

“Then it sounds like this isn’t the right line of work for you.” She does her best to sound sympathetic and concerned.

“There is nothing for me,” Ruby complains. “I can’t do anything right.”

“Now that’s just not true.” She places her hand on Ruby’s face and the other woman flinches in response. “You did good work at Granny’s and I’m not just talking about the things we would do after hours.”

Ruby blushes and Regina has to admit that she likes that response a whole lot better than the flinching. “I’m wicked good at making shakes,” she brags.

“Yes you are.”

“I’m wicked good at quite a few things,” Ruby says provocatively and then pauses. Her voice is softer as she says, “But you’re not so interested in those skills lately.”

“I feel like I didn’t treat you very well. It probably didn’t help your confidence.”

“It’s ok,” Ruby’s smile is large and her teeth glisten. “You’re not that powerful and or that important.”

Regina really, really does not like anyone even thinking that she’s anything but all powerful and all important. “No. I guess not.”

“I’m sorry Mayor Mills, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Ruby eyes narrow and it makes her look like the predator she really is, “I’m sure I can make you feel pretty important.” She uses one hand to undo Regina’s top bottom and Regina steps backwards.

Regina is thrown by Ruby’s behaviour. It’s not like they ever meant anything to one another. Being with Ruby was about exerting power and she honestly thought that Ruby always hated it. Having Ruby come on to her doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

A few months ago she would have done things differently. She’d have fucked Ruby there and then. In the cold, in the dirt. If nothing else it would mean that she could be certain that Ruby wouldn’t say anything about seeing her here. She doesn’t do it though. She can’t. Not because it wouldn’t be right, she gave up caring about such concepts long ago, but because it would actually feel wrong. It’s a long time, and a lot of water under the bridge, since Regina felt bad about anything.

Ruby doesn’t seem upset by the rejection but she gives Regina a strange look as she says, “People are wrong about you, you know? You really have changed.”

“Is that so?” She’s not sure she likes the idea of people talking about her unless it’s in reverence or fear.

“Yes it is.” Ruby insists with more fire than Regina is used to seeing. 

“And you know this how?” Regina asks as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“I know this because people are as wrong about me as they are about you. I’m not stupid and I’m not blind.”

“And what is it that you think you have seen?”

“I’ve seen you and Emma flirting with danger.”

They’ve not exactly been discrete but it still comes as a surprise to realise that someone knows about them. “I don’t know what you think you’ve seen but I can assure you that there is nothing going on.”

“I’ve seen enough to be worried for her.” Regina doesn’t comment and so Ruby continues. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

“Have you now?” She actually feels a little better. This she can handle; this she can contain.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her too but I wasn’t sure it meant anything. You’re good at making people feel wanted when they aren’t.”

“Ruby I’m sorry,” Regina says and the strange thing is that she means it.

“Don’t be. I can take care of myself. I was just worried that you were going to hurt her.”

“I would never do that her,” the words are out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

“I’m starting to believe that might be true.” Ruby has a look of smug satisfaction on her face, “After all most people can’t turn me down.” 

“So this was a test?” Regina feels her anger flood to the surface.

“Yeah I guess it was.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Regina spits.

“Maybe not but you should ask yourself if are you angry that I tested you or angry that you passed?”

She likes neither the question nor the implications. Nothing is easy anymore. Emma Swan’s arrival in Storybrooke has changed everything. It didn’t just unfreeze time; it woke everybody up. That includes Regina who didn’t even know that she was sleeping. It suggests that she is no different from anyone else in the town and that thought does not sit well with her. The curse is weakening and she is weakening with it. She saw herself as the all knowing puppet master but now she is the one whose strings are being pulled. Meeting Emma has thawed whatever there is left of Regina’s heart and in doing so Emma has ruined everything. She should hate her for that. Hate she can deal with. Hate she understands. She can’t hate her though, no matter how hard she tries. Regina may be the one with magic but she is completely and hopelessly under Emma’s spell.


End file.
